


Paper Wishes

by Phoebeus



Series: These Days We Celebrate [12]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Just cute domestic cute, M/M, Wrong Holiday Release, happy ending encore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23141698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebeus/pseuds/Phoebeus
Summary: What's a holiday for thank yous and wishes without gratitude and hope and a little mom shaming on video game knowledge?
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Series: These Days We Celebrate [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/668048
Comments: 35
Kudos: 96





	Paper Wishes

**Author's Note:**

> Happy White Day! I decided to break my release plans on the spot to release this story since it felt timely. ...Granted, the holiday here is NOT White Day, but I am not planning to wait until July/August to put it out. I have other things planned before then!
> 
> So, enjoy this shorty.

“Alright,  _ Otou-san _ is clearing out the last of the customers,” Yui reported as she walked into the kitchen, looking instantly at the boys sitting at the table. “What about you two? Are you nearly done?” 

“Just about!” Yuugi chirped, grinning as he finished folding and pinching together a yellow paper star. Then he took a needle, poked a hole straight through it, and strung the tiny star onto white thread. There were a couple dozen stars of all colors already on it. Blues and greens, yellows and pinks, reds and purples– “Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready.”

His mother stared at the multi-colored chain as Yuugi put it down, her expression uncertain. “I thought we were going traditional this year with the good wish decorations.”

“What’s more traditional for  _ Tanabata _ than  _ stars?!” _

Yui didn’t answer. She just shook her head and looked at the  _ other _ teen at the table. Atem was focused on his own paper folding, working hard– and grinning. Likely at her and Yuugi’s exchange. “What about you, Atem-kun?”

“Nearly there,” he assured, not looking up. “We already prepared our  _ tanzaku _ wishes. They’re under the bamboo in the family room.”

_ “Hanging _ from it?!”

“No, just on the table.” 

“Oh.” Yui relaxed with a sigh, seeming drained by the sudden rise and fall of alarm.  _ “Good. _ We’ll hang them up together as a family once your grandfather is ready, so I  _ suggest _ you two finish off those chains, no matter how close you think you are. We need to hurry if we want to spend any real time at the shopping center.”

“I think it’s open until nine for the festival, Mama.” 

“We are  _ not _ staying out that late, Yuugi-kun. No one’s in the house tomorrow, what with your grandfather working alone and me out and you two hanging out with your friends, and I want to burn the wishes  _ tonight _ after we get back, while we’re still together.”

“They won’t have long to hang, then.”

“That’s fine, Atem-kun. They’ll reach the heavens just the same,” Yui assured, her voice distracted as she turned back towards the hall. She walked out of the kitchen with a rushed call of, “I’ll go see what’s holding up  _ Otou-san! _ Hurry up!”

The boys didn’t answer, sharing a quick smile between refocusing on their individual work.

“What do you wanna bet  _ Jii-chan _ is actually finishing up his own decoration in the shop?”

“Do you think he made a purse again,  _ aibou?” _

“‘The will of the gods is the only thing keeping this shop afloat, my boy,’” Yuugi answered, mimicking his grandfather’s cheery deep voice as well as he could, and earning a rich chuckle. He grinned proudly and shot the smug look at Atem, but softened into an easy, admiring smile as he watched his boyfriend make the finishing folds to a silver crane. Once done, Atem reached for his own needle and added his latest creation to his chain: There were about six or seven birds on the line already. “Do the cranes have something to do with  _ your _ wish?”

Atem’s smile grew at Yuugi’s question, and he looked stunning, delightful in his delight even as he kept his attention on his work. “They do, actually.” And that was it. He didn’t elaborate. But Yuugi was pleased anyways, because cranes meant longevity. Atem’s wish was likely something  _ good, _ something Yuugi would be happy to support and wish for, too. The Mutous had made a point to keep quiet on their wishes to increase the excitement when they finally hung them together as a family, and while Yuugi could likely guess his mother and grandfather’s wishes in two tries, he had only educated guesses for what  _ Atem _ might have written.

So he prodded a little, adding a blue star to his chain as he teased, “I could have sworn I saw  _ you _ making a paper purse yesterday, actually. Are you planning to sneak in a wish for money yourself,  _ mou hitori no boku?” _ Perhaps that wasn’t a bad one, considering Atem’s upcoming competitions. If he got money soon, that would mean he won the games and–

“That’s meant for prosperity, not money,” Atem claimed, looking up for his newest crane to smile at Yuugi. “And that’s for you, not me. For your game.”

Yuugi’s smile fell, and he stared at his boyfriend, words gone.

And Atem’s expression softened and grew warm. “I didn’t write a wish out for that one. I don’t think you need any divine help. I just wanted to make it.”

_ “Mou hitori no boku…” _

Atem kept smiling as he reached for Yuugi’s hand, leaning over the corner of the table separating them to press a kiss to his brow.

Yuugi let him, his throat tight with such goodness. Such  _ sudden _ goodness. Sometimes, he still didn’t quite believe it. It had been a week. A  _ week _ since Atem came home with him. And not even two since he decided to stay.

With him.

…Yuugi should have mentioned that in his wish.  _ Tanzaku _ were meant as much for thank yous as for wishes, and he  _ should _ have thought to mention how thankful he was that Atem had decided to stay! That he  _ could _ stay!

But, his wish was  _ good. _ He didn’t  _ want _ to change it!

Still, if he could maybe just  _ add _ one– 

Atem sat back in his seat, and Yuugi squeezed his hand to keep it from retreating. So Atem left it there in his grip as he looked down at Yuugi’s stars. “Are those for your wish, too?”

“I– yeah, sort of. For good luck and hope and all that.”

“Interesting. Given the way you folded them, I was wondering if you had put messages right on the paper and hidden them within the folds.”

Yuugi blinked, looked down at his stars… and gaped.  _ How had he  _ **_not_ ** _ thought of that?! He could have been making a  _ **_dozen_ ** _ wishes and thank yous– _ He jerked his head up at a sharp laugh, and glowered at his cackling boyfriend, squeezing his hand to demand his attention.  _ “Hey!” _

“I’m sorry, your expression just– it’s fine,  _ aibou. _ You can always do it next year. If you want.”

_ “Hmph,” _ Yuugi grumped, frowning as Atem kept chuckling, and kept smiling at him… his mirth so bright and confident that it  _ ate _ at Yuugi’s principled offense. It was annoying how easily Atem could soften him up just by looking at him like that, and worse Atem clearly  _ knew _ it. But it was true. In a matter of seconds Yuugi was grinning back, sharing Atem’s cheer until they were both laughing at nothing. 

That was when Yui walked back in. “What are you two even– I told you to finish up!” 

Yuugi shut his mouth, flushing as he looked at his mother. “Ah, sorry. We got distracted.”

_ “Clearly. _ Anyways, you’re lucky. Your grandfather apparently forgot to finish his own decoration, but once he’s finished with his purse– What are you two laughing at  _ now?!” _

“N-nothing,” Atem assured, beaming at Yui as they both calmed down. And Yuugi felt a little validated when even  _ his mom’s _ ire softened at the sight of Atem’s cheer. “Did you remember  _ Ot– _ your husband’s wish? I left the letter it came in out on the hall table yesterday.”

Yui shot Atem a bemused look, but nodded. “Yes, thank you, Atem-kun. It’s in the family room waiting for us.” She frowned down at their unfinished decorations, but turned and hurried back through the door. “Just hurry up in here,  _ alright? _ I want to leave the house by lunch time.  _ Honestly, _ next year we’re all taking the time off and going to Sendai, I don’t care–”

“Hey! What’s wrong with our shopping center?” Yuugi asked, frowning at her back. But he’d been talking more to himself than her, and he hadn’t expected her to actually stop and turn back and frown at him.

“Sendai has the true, full festival every year, Yuugi-kun, with thousands of streamers and fireworks and setting off your wishes in the river.  _ Here _ we have food and a bunch of cartoon characters hanging from the ceiling. Like those water droplet things they always hang at the front entrance!” 

Yuugi shared a  _ look _ with his boyfriend, then solemnly explained to his mother, “Those are slimes.”

Yui gave him a look  _ right back, _ as if to say  _ how is that the point?! _ Then she walked out of the kitchen without another word.

Yuugi instantly shared another frown with Atem. “I think we’ve failed her. She doesn’t even recognize Dragon Quest.” 

Atem shook his head, but said with a patient, allowing air, “There’s still time for her. Don’t worry.”

Yuugi hummed thoughtfully, but let it go to turn back to his stars– and realized at that moment that one of his hands wasn’t free. Atem still had it. And while Atem naturally let him go to finish his crane, Yuugi remained still, staring at his own hand.

They’d been holding hands.

They’d been holding hands the  _ entire time, _ and Mama hadn’t said a thing, even though she  _ had _ to have noticed.

But Atem hadn’t noticed. And he didn’t notice then as Yuugi stared to him. He remained focused on stringing his final golden crane, unaware of his attention.

Yuugi stared at him for a while… but ultimately looked back at his own work, deciding to keep the little discovery to himself. 

For now.

He bit back a wide,  _ wide _ smile and tied off his stars.

* * *

** The Mutou Wishes **

Yuugi: “May my friends and family and Atem be happy.”

Yui: “May we all be safe and well.” 

Renju: “Thank you for my family’s health. Please look after us and help us prosper.” 

Sugoroku: “Please lower the property taxes and keep shipping costs low.” 

Atem: “Let this be only the beginning.”

**Author's Note:**

> The holiday featured here is called [Tanabata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata). The day it happens each year in each part of Japan varies due to lunar vs Gregorian calendars, but it falls in July or August. The basic premise is to write wishes on small pieces of paper ( _tanzaku_ ) and hang them on bamboo with handmade decorations that mean different things. At night or the next day you burn it all or set it afloat on a river. Other than that, I am an American with very minor awareness of the holiday and culture, but I hope I represented it fine! I've loved the thought of this one since the Persona games introduced me to it.
> 
> Anyways, my game plan is still to try and release something new the last Sunday of each month, so keep your eyes peeled around March 29: If things aren't crazy in my part of the world then, you might see something. :)


End file.
